KosherTorah.com Worlds before Adam An excerpt from An Authoritative Torah View on UFO’s, Aliens & Extraterrestrial Life by HaRav Ariel Bar Tzadok Copyright © 1995 by Ariel bar Tzadok. All rights reserved. Pre-Adamites Rabbi Yisrael Lifshitz, the author of the authoritative commentary to the Mishna, Tiferet Yisrael, addresses the topic of pre-adamic life in the introduction to the eleventh chapter of Tractate Sanhedrin. Drawing upon what was the scientific discoveries of his day, and the Darwinian conflict on creationism and evolution, Lifshitz points out that the Torah does acknowledge the existence of dinosaurs. These were the creations of the prior Shemita, he says. Not only this, but Rabbi Lifshitz goes further to say that Adam was not really the first human being, but that there were countless people before him, which he calls pre-Adamites. This controversial view of Rabbi Lifshitz has placed his commentary and other written works on the taboo list in certain Jewish circles which considered his revelations not in accordance with the spirit of Judaism. But nothing could be further from the truth. There are some Kabbalists such as Rabbi Yehuda Fatiyah who, in his Beit Lehem Yehuda (2,66A), wrote questioning certain aspects of the doctrine of the Shemita. Yet even Rabbi Fatiyah, in Minhat Yehuda (pg. 222), expounds on a section of the Zohar which speaks of the pre-Adamic parents of Adam. He even states that Adam’s parents copulated on the spiritual plane that his mother conceived and gave birth to Adam’s body which, as I referenced earlier, was completely astral. Where Adam’s parents came from, Rabbi Fatiyah does not say. But he makes it quite clear that they are individual beings and not simply an appellation for G-d. The Talmud in Hagigah 13B speaks of 974 pre-Adamic generations. One of the early Kabbalistic classics, the Ma’arekhet Elokut, states specifically that these generations refer to the pre- Adamic Shemita cycles. There are a great number of both earlier and later generation Rabbis, Hasidic masters and Kabbalists who have spoken quite openly about the doctrine of the Shemita. Rabbi Shmuel Lifshitz in his Anafim Shatul Mayim commentary to Sefer HaIkarim has said, “[I] open my mouth like a talebearer to reveal hidden secrets.” However, in all written works taught in the name of the master Kabbalist the Ari’zal, there is no overt mention of the doctrine of the Shemita or of the pre-Adamic civilizations. It is thus assumed by certain secular scholars (ref. Enc. Jud. 10, pg. 583) that the Ari’zal did not hold the doctrine of the Shemita to be true. Again, nothing could be further from the truth. Though my readers who are not Orthodox Jews will not recognize the following names, they are still important for me to document for the sake of my Orthodox Jewish readers. This is only a partial list of those Rabbis and Kabbalists, from the earlier and later generations, who held that the doctrine of the Shemita is correct and true: 1. Sefer HaTemunah, 2. Sefer HaKana, 3. The RaMBaN, 1 Copyright © 1995 by Ariel Bar Tzadok. All rights reserved. KosherTorah.com 4. Rabbeynu Bahya, 5. Rabbi Yitzhak D’Min Acco, 6. Recanati on the Torah, 7. Tziyuni on the Torah, 8. Ma’arekhet Elokut, 9. Shatul Mayim on Sefer HaIkarim, 10. Sefer Livnat HaSapir of Rabbi David ben Yehuda HaHasid (sefardi), 11. the author of Shoshan Sodot, 12. The Radbaz, Rabbi David Zimra (the Kabbalistic teacher of the Ari’zal), 13. the Techelet Mordechai, 14. Rabbi Lifshitz’s Tiferet Yisrael, and 15. Rabbi Tzvi Hirsch Eichenstein of Zidatchov in his Ateret Tzvi commentary on the Zohar HaRakia. This is only a partial list. My orthodox Jewish readers will recognize that these names are giants in the world of Jewish learning, they are the pillars upon which our holy traditions rest. To say that all these giants of Torah are incorrect is to both dishonor these Rabbis and the Torah itself. The legitimacy of the pre-Adamic worlds has never been questioned in authoritative Torah literature. Rabbi Tzvi Hirsch Eichenstein, in his commentary Ateret Tzvi (126B) on the book Zohar HaRakia, states that even though the Ari’zal was silent on this matter, he definitely ascribed to the doctrine of the Shemita and that “G-d forbid anyone would disagree with the holy Sages of Israel.” The only disagreement among the Kabbalists appears to be regarding which cycle of the Shemita we are in now. The Fallen Kings of Edom As I mentioned above, one of the most involved areas of Kabbalistic studies involves discussions on the pre-Adamic worlds referred to as the “seven Kings who reigned in he land of Edom, prior to their being a King in Israel” (Gen. 36). The holy Zohar and especially the writings of the Ari’zal are replete with lectures upon lectures about this amazing topic. Interestingly, the world of the “seven Kings” is called Olam HaTohu, the world of emptiness, based on the reference in Gen. 1:2. An involved explanation of this matter would take me far off course from what I wish to relate here. Also, due to the cryptic nature of the subject matter, any rendering into English would never do justice to the original Hebrew and Aramaic texts. This is one of those topics that if someone wishes to research in depth, they had better be well versed in both Rabbinic Hebrew and Aramaic. However I will briefly cover those points which are relevant to our topic. Sefer Etz Haim of Rabbi Haim Vital comprises the vast majority of teachings that he received from his Kabbalist teacher, the great Ari’zal. Based mainly on the holy Zohar, Rabbi Vital expounds, in the name of the Ari’zal, on the entire order of creation, beginning with the original desire of the Creator to create a world, and finishing with the Creator’s lowest creations. To sum up the teachings on these matters, Rabbi Vital relates that were three distinct levels of creation. These creations were not exclusively a creation of physical places, but rather they are epochs in time and space which outline the order of spiritual evolution. The first of these three worlds is said to “emanate from the mouth of Adam Kadmon” (Primordial Man). This is an appellation of the Divine Will, also referred to as the first sefira, Keter. At this level it is said that all ten sefirot came forth from the holy Mouth, encased together in one vessel. This was the primordial beginnings of the differentiation of light and its container, the vessel. This initial creation was the creation of form. For prior to this, all existence was exclusively G-d’s light. Nothing independent of G-d could manifest, for it had no form through which to manifest. Form, therefore, had to be the first creation, for without it, there would be no 2 Copyright © 1995 by Ariel Bar Tzadok. All rights reserved. KosherTorah.com differentiation, and nothing would be able to maintain an independent identity. Without form, nothing in creation could be recognizably different from the Creator. This then was the first creation, or world. It is called the “Realm of the Bound” (Olam HaAkudim). The second creation to manifest from the Primordial Man is said to have come forth from his “Eyes.” However, the light of the “Eyes” of Adam Kadmon did not shine out of the “Eyes,” but rather shone from below the “Waist.” Many reasons are given to explain why this occurred, but these are not relevant to our present discussion. It was at this level that G-d’s innate light diversified into what we will call “the shades of color.” This was the creation of diversity. The duality of force and form, soul and body, was thus firmly established. In this realm, the light of G-d’s ultimate Being was able to exist within the arena of creation without it overwhelming creation and thus nullifying it. This was accomplished through the formation of vessels, which would act to filter G-d’s ultimate light. These vessels are the primordial forms underlying all creation. These vessels are the sefirot. One thing is certain, whenever diversity exists, all existence within the diversity must have its proper place so that all aspects of diversity can become manifest and perform their given function. When all is one there is never any conflict, for there is nothing to conflict with. With the creation of diversity, there arises the potential for conflict. If one claims or usurps the place, role or identity of another then the two struggle. This is a given feature within any dimension of diversity. In order to do away with disorder, there has to be the creation of order. Yet, before order can be established, it must be defined. In other words, order must remove disorder, which by definition means that disorder must preceed the creation of order. And so it that we find, that prior to the creation of light, the world is void and empty, and prior to their being a “King in Israel” (order) there are “Kings in Edom” (chaos). This is speaking about the Kabbalistic secret of the creation of evil, the breaking and disorder of the primordial vessels, G-d’s creation of chaos. It is out of chaos that order is born. The Kabbalists teach that when the sefirot came forth for the first time, each in its own unique vessel, the vessels themselves were not in their proper order. The light of G-d shone forth, expecting to shine into each and every vessel, but when the vessels were not in the right place to receive the light, they no longer had the ability to survive by themselves.